The God of High School peaked my interest ever since it was announced. An anime heavily focused on hand-to-hand combat? Sign me up. The first episode aired yesterday and I have been eager to write up my thoughts in this non-spoiler review.
So, what is The God of High School? Honestly, I had no idea what it was about based on its title. Originally it was a South Korean webtoon written and illustrated by Yongje Park. The anime series has been adapted by MAPPA who also worked on Punch Line, Yuri on Ice and the upcoming final season of Attack on Titan. The story focuses on Jin Mori, a Taekwondo specialist who joins a fighting tournament. The winner of the tournament gets their wish fulfilled by the hosting corporation. Obviously, not everything is as it seems as forces with god-like powers soon join the fight.
I haven’t read the webtoon so I’m not entirely sure what direction this show will take. However, the opening episode alluded to some very interesting developments. While I do wish I knew more about the show, I am incredibly excited to see how it develops and unravels. Going in blind is truly wonderful.
Han Daewi and Jin Mori
As an opening episode, I think it did a great job at laying down the foundations of, what looks to be, a very exciting series. While we didn’t get a great exploration of any of the surrounding characters, we got a slight introduction to the main protagonist, Jin Mori. He seems very fun and cool, I liked him almost immediately. We learned a bit about his Grandfather who seems to be his primary role model. My guess is that something has happened to him and that is the reason for Jin entering the competition. If he wins, he can use his wish to help his Grandfather. I could be completely wrong but that’s what I gathered from this episode.
The music for this show was an incredible surprise, it was upbeat and exhilarating. It completely suits the tones for this show and the opening did a wonderful job at establishing the characters that we will eventually get to know. It gives the audience an insight into what they can expect from The God of High School. Openings are great tools particularly for people who haven’t read the original source material. Contradiction by KSUKE (feat. Tyler Carter) is currently 27th on trending on YouTube.
Check out the opening!
I would argue that the major selling point for this series as it continues is the animation. You can’t do a show about fighting without decent animation and they absolutely delivered. What a first episode to really show the audience what they are capable of. MAPPA have done some beautiful work, if you’ve watched Yuri On Ice you’ll know, but I don’t think I quite expected this.
The animation is clean, fluent and completely mesmerizing. I am an absolute sucker for hand-to-hand combat so this was a treat. While the fights were absolutely stunning I believe they served a greater purpose. Much like your standard opening which puts the main characters front and centre, the way these fights were constructed really introduced us to the characters. We are introduced to their fighting style, their weapon of choice and their power. It was a really well done sequence and it got me super hyped for more one-on-one fights.
This show was really able to show how powerful these characters are. You had massive explosions, sonic booms and speed beyond comprehension. As someone who hasn’t read the webtoon, I have no idea what is coming next but I am certain that these fights will get bigger and better. That is a guarantee. I’d like to think that episode one acted as a tease- look at how great these characters are… you haven’t seen anything yet.
Jin Mori
For people who appreciate animation at its best and a story that can be both fun and intense, this series is a must. Of course, it is very early days but I have a great feeling about The God of High School. Going in blind is incredibly exciting and I can’t wait to see what this show throws at me.
The God of High School can be watched on Crunchyroll. Episode One- Set up/Stand up is available now and new episodes will be uploaded weekly. Don’t miss out!
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